Six years ago today, the world lost Gianna Cirella. She was 16 years old and she lost her life to sepsis. You can read Gianna’s story here. Through their grief and anguish, Gianna’s parents, Tara and Stanley “Skip” Cirella, vowed to make a difference and to ensure that no other child would die a needless death from sepsis in their home state of Rhode Island.

Tara Cirella reached out to us shortly after Gianna’s death, looking for understanding and for guidance. We knew her grief well and we recognized her determination to create change in her child’s name. We shared our roadmap for passing mandatory sepsis protocols–Rory’s Regulations–in New York State and watched with admiration as she took Rhode Island by storm. Earlier this year, Governor Dan McKee of Rhode Island passed landmark legislation that improves protocols for early recognition and treatment for sepsis across the state in Gianna’s name. We are so proud of the Cirella family. Their work will save many, many lives. Tara wrote about how END SEPSIS was able to start her on the path towards legislation and urged others to contact us for assistance in getting sepsis legislation passed in their own state. We thank Tara for her generous words and echo her call to action. Sepsis protocols save lives. Contact us to get started in your state.